The exchange email and the Friday deadline
Uma estudante brasileira participa de um projeto virtual com uma escola canadense sobre consumo de água. Ela precisa escrever um e-mail para a parceira, que ainda não enviou os dados combinados. O rascunho diz: “Hey, I wanna know if you guys can send the data until Friday because we need to finish our part. We did a lot of work but your part is late. Send it ASAP.” A professora avisou que o e-mail será lido por professores e estudantes canadenses e que o atraso pode ter causas que a brasileira desconhece. A escola tem até sexta-feira para consolidar os dados; depois disso, o relatório final precisa ser entregue na segunda. A estudante quer manter a urgência, mas evitar que o tom soe agressivo ou informal demais. Ela também precisa deixar claro que o prazo é importante para o cronograma do grupo, não uma imposição.
1. Identify two problems in the draft related to register or tone, and explain how each may affect the Canadian partner's response.
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One problem is the informal register: “Hey”, “wanna”, “you guys” and “ASAP” are fine in a chat with friends, but this email will be read by teachers and students in another school. It may make the message seem less respectful or less serious, and the partner may not treat the request as a formal project task.
Another problem is the accusatory sentence “We did a lot of work but your part is late.” It assumes fault and may embarrass the partner, especially if the delay is due to a problem the Brazilian student does not know about. A defensive partner may reply less cooperatively or delay even more. The message also does not explain why Friday matters, so it can sound like an arbitrary imposition rather than a shared deadline.
2. Rewrite the draft as a short email in appropriate academic register, keeping the Friday deadline and the urgency. Explain two changes you made.
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Possible rewrite: “Dear partner, I hope you are well. We are finalizing our part of the water project and would like to confirm whether you can send your data by Friday. This deadline is important because we need to consolidate all the data before submitting the final report on Monday. If you are facing any difficulty, please let us know so we can find a solution together. Best regards, [Name].”
Two changes: (1) I replaced “Hey”, “wanna”, “you guys” and “ASAP” with “Dear partner”, “would like to confirm” and “by Friday”, which keeps the urgency but uses a respectful academic tone. (2) I removed “your part is late” and added the reason for the deadline and an offer to help. This avoids blaming the partner and presents Friday as a shared project need, not an order.
3. Explain the difference in effect between “Could you please send the data by Friday?” and “You must send the data by Friday” in this context, and justify which one fits the student's goal.
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“Could you please send the data by Friday?” is a polite request. It recognizes that the partner has autonomy and leaves room for the partner to explain difficulties. “You must send the data by Friday” is an obligation imposed by the speaker; between partner schools, it can sound rude or hierarchical, especially because the Brazilian student has no authority over the Canadian group. Since the student wants to keep the urgency without sounding aggressive, the first option fits better. The Friday deadline can still be clear through the reason given: the data are needed before the final report on Monday.